System utilizing physiological monitoring and electronic media for health improvement

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to the use of physiological monitoring to enable an individualized response, e.g. feedback, recommendations, rewards or guidance to be presented to the individual within the context of electronic media. Specifically, the response is preferably based upon measured physiological data obtained while the individual is not directly involved with the electronic media and is preferably delivered in the context of an electronic game or interactive social activity program.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS[0001]This application claims priority under U.S.C. Section 119(e) to provisional application No. 61 / 276,603, filed on Sep. 14, 2009.FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Rising health costs are a growing problem within society, and are driven in large part by increased obesity. Obesity raises the likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as Type II diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, and kidney disease, resulting in dramatic and, to a large extent, preventable health care costs. The origin of excess weight in the majority of overweight individuals is from poor eating habits driven by dysfunctional behavior patterns. There is therefore a need to provide effective tools for behavior guidance enabling the management of obesity, including tools for youth to limit occurrence of adverse events later on in life.[0004]In addition to obesity, there exist other health needs that would benefit from...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Rising health costs are a growing problem within society, and are driven in large part by increased obesity.

Obesity raises the likelihood of developing chronic diseases such as Type II diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, and kidney disease, resulting in dramatic and, to a large extent, preventable health care costs.

Unfortunately, simple instructions or recommendations frequently fail to influence behavior in desired fashions due to either the lack of personalization of the guidance or the format / delivery of the message.

However, they fail to teach methods for monitoring behavior or activity associated with health while not directly engaged with the exercise equipment thereby failing to account for those periods of time when the user is not directly engaged with the system.

However, this approach does not teach the use of activity outside of the game environment or provide a means to directly monitor this activity and thereby accurately reward the individual.

In addition, Wessel does not teach the use of other formats / content other than the direct reward / incentive messages to convey success to the individual.

Therefore interaction between the individual and the invention may be transitory in nature, i.e. restricted to that period of time when the incentive message is conveyed to the individual, and therefore is potentially lessened in effectiveness.

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